CHAPTER XXVIII
The next day, I went straight to the teacher and asked if I could take the lead role now that Ranav had stepped down. The teacher looked at me, nodded, and said, "Yes, Sam. But you do realize the performance is just a week away, right? So you'll have to start rehearsing from today itself."
I nodded confidently and said, "Alright, I'm ready."
As I walked into the practice room, I saw Mon already standing there. The moment she saw me, she turned around and began to walk out. But before she could leave, the teacher stepped in and stopped her.
"Mon," the teacher said firmly, "Ranav has quit the play. That means from today, you'll have to rehearse with Sam. And not just a little — six hours every day. This play is extremely important for our college, and we can't afford any mistakes."
Mon hesitated. I could see the discomfort in her eyes, but she couldn't argue with the teacher. She had no choice but to agree.
There were many other people involved in the play, and because of that, it was hard for Mon and me to find any real privacy — any space where we could just talk without eyes on us. But I had made up my mind. No matter what, today I was going to tell Mon everything — everything I had been holding inside.
I was determined. I wasn't going to let the silence between us grow any deeper. Not this time. Not anymore.
Mon and I began rehearsing together. During the practice, I tried several times to talk to her — to say something, anything — but she wasn't willing to listen.
Her hands were resting firmly on my shoulders, and mine were wrapped gently around her waist. We were so close, just inches apart… yet I couldn't reach her heart. That… somewhere deep down, felt like my defeat.
As the scene progressed, I spun her around gently, and now my hands were on her stomach while my face was near her cheek. I leaned in slowly and whispered, "Mon… tonight, at the hostel party… please meet me there. I want to tell you everything — the truth."
She stiffened. Then, without turning toward me, she replied coldly, "Sam, I told you already… I don't want to talk to you. So why are you even here?"
I took a quiet breath and said, "For you, Mon… only for you."
She pushed me away with a sharp motion and said, "Practice is over. It's been six hours. I'm leaving."
And just like that, she walked away.
I stood there, watching her go. The face that once always lit up with a smile whenever she saw me… was now blank — completely expressionless. No trace of joy, anger, or sadness. Just silence.
But I knew… I knew Mon was hurting deeply. And somewhere, I was the reason behind that pain.
Yes, I had fallen in love with her. But I never had the courage to tell her the truth. I never told her that… initially, I came close to her because of Malvika. That my intentions weren't pure at first.
But over time, everything changed. My feelings changed. I changed.
I wanted to tell her that now, it's no longer about Malvika. It's about her.
That I had truly fallen for her.
But I couldn't say anything. I stood there… silently watching her walk away from me once again. Helpless. Regretful. Alone.
After the long and emotionally draining practice session, I returned to my room. Evening had already settled in, and the room was dark. I flipped on the lights — only to be surprised by the sight of Mahi and Aarvi sitting on my bed, already there, waiting for me.
I blinked in confusion and asked, "What are you both doing here?"
Mahi looked at me with raised eyebrows and said, "You don't know?"
I frowned. "No… I don't."
Aarvi leaned forward, her expression serious. "Did you talk to Mon? Did she forgive you?"
I looked down, feeling a familiar sting in my chest. "No… I couldn't talk to her. She doesn't want to listen to me. Not a single word."
Mahi sighed and said, "Sam, you'll have to do something. You might not know this, but we do. Last night, she cried a lot. I even sent Aarvi to check on her and be with her. That's why I had to sleep next to that psycho Joya! You know how crazy she is, right?"
Before I could respond, Aarvi suddenly turned possessive, her eyes narrowing. "Wait… What did Joya do to you, Mahi?"
Mahi quickly waved it off, "Oh nothing, nothing happened!"
But Aarvi wasn't convinced. "Mahi, why don't you tell me anything? I'm your girlfriend! You do remember that, right?"
Mahi gave her a soft look and said, "Yes, Aaru, I know. Please don't get angry, love."
I stood there watching the two of them bicker. On any other day, their silly fights would've made me smile. But not today.
I was already too burdened, too emotionally exhausted. My heart was heavy with guilt, confusion, and longing. I couldn't even think straight.
Without saying anything else, I quietly turned and stepped out of the room — away from their laughter, their tension, their love… and into the quiet corridor.
Because tonight, I just needed space — space to breathe, to think, and maybe… to figure out how to win Mon back before it was too late.
I started walking through the corridor, my mind swirling with thoughts, confusion, and the heaviness of everything left unsaid. That's when I saw her — Malvika — sitting alone in her room, crying silently. The door was slightly open, and no one was around her.
As soon as I saw her like that, the questions I'd been holding in for so long surged up inside me. Why had she done this? Why had she come between me and Mon? Why had she created such a massive wall of misunderstandings between us?
Maybe, for Malvika, it was all a game — a twisted joke.
But for me… it wasn't.
Mon wasn't just someone I liked… she was someone I loved.
And everything connected to her — her smile, her pain, her presence — meant everything to me.
With those thoughts burning in my chest, I walked into Malvika's room without hesitation. I walked up to her, and asked, my voice shaking with a mix of anger and hurt,
"Malvika, why did you do this? Why did you come between me and Mon? Do you know she doesn't even talk to me anymore?"
Malvika looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears — not the tears of guilt, but of pain. Before I could even process her expression, she threw her arms around me and clung tightly.
Through choked sobs, she said,
"Sam… do you even know? Back when you liked me, I thought of you as just an option. Someone I could have… or not have. But the moment you started falling for Mon, when I saw you actually loving her — I realized I had sent someone so precious away from me. I gave you to someone I absolutely hate… and it broke me."
Her words pierced something deep inside me. My eyes filled with tears.
A single question echoed in my heart:
How can someone hate another person so much… that they'd go to such lengths to hurt them, just to feel like they've won?
I gently pulled Malvika away from me and looked her in the eyes.
"Malvika," I said softly but firmly, "don't you understand? I was never really yours. Not truly. Maybe I don't even fully understand why I love Mon so much… but I just know I do. More than anything.
And you know what hurts the most? Mon doesn't even hate you. She's not like that. She never has been. She wouldn't be happy to see you lose, and she wouldn't wish you pain — no matter how much you tried to break us. She's good. And I just wish… you could have seen that."
Malvika looked at me with a strange desperation in her eyes. She reached out again, trying to explain, trying to come close.
"Sam… I love you more than she ever could," she whispered, her voice trembling.
But there was something wild in her eyes now — a dangerous kind of obsession.
And before I could move away, Malvika tried to kiss me.
In that moment — everything shattered.
Because right then… Mon walked in.
She stood frozen, eyes wide, staring at us. And then, without a word, she marched forward and slapped Malvika hard across the face.
The sound echoed in the room.
Stunned, Malvika stumbled backward… and then, suddenly, in a fit of rage, she pushed Mon hard.
I saw Mon lose her balance — her body falling toward the ground.
My heart stopped.
Without thinking, I shoved Malvika back and rushed to Mon.
She had fallen awkwardly, and her ankle had twisted badly. She winced in pain, her face pale.
Malvika stood behind me, eyes burning with rage, but I didn't have a second to spare for her.
All that mattered was Mon.
I scooped her gently into my arms, holding her close, and without saying a word, I carried her out of that room — away from the hurt, the drama, and the girl who almost broke us apart.
I took her straight to Mahi and Aarvi's room. Because right now, Mon needed care. She needed safety.
And most of all… she needed to know that no matter what, I was never letting her go again.
I gently laid Mon down on Mahi's bed, my hands trembling as I reached for the first aid kit. Carefully, I began applying ointment to her injured ankle, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. The pain she was in — both physical and emotional — was unbearable to witness. And knowing that I was partly responsible for it made it even worse.
As I focused on tending to her wound, Mon suddenly spoke — her voice low, filled with frustration and emotion.
"Sam… do you even know how angry I am with you right now?"
Before I could respond, she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close — so close that our foreheads touched, skin to skin, heart to heart.
Her eyes searched mine, and with a cracked voice, she whispered,
"You really don't know how to make things right, do you? You're terrible at apologizing…"
And then, her voice broke, and her tone shifted from anger to raw vulnerability.
"Please… just make it right. I don't want to stay mad at you. I don't want to push you away anymore. Please… don't let me go. Don't ever leave me, Sam… not ever."
My heart shattered and healed all at once in that moment.
I cupped her face gently and said,
"I promise, Mon. I swear on everything… for the rest of my life, I'll do exactly what you want me to. No matter what happens, I'll always choose you. I'll never leave your side."
And just like that, the storm that had raged between us for so long… finally quieted.
We wrapped our arms around each other and sat there, holding on tightly — not just to each other, but to the promises we had made in silence and in words.
In that moment, there was no Malvika. No misunderstandings. No pain from the past.
Just us — two broken hearts that had finally found their way back to each other.
And as we held one another, the only thought echoing between us was simple and pure:
We're together now. And no one… no one can tear us apart.
To be continue....